Stalk-cutter.



lo. 657,4". Patented Sept. 4, |900. J. HAMM.

'ST-ALK CUTTER.,

(Applistion ld Har.. 27 1.900.;

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(Ilo Nudel.)

No. 657,411. Patented sept.` 4, |900.

I J. HAMM.

STALK CUTTER.

l (Application led Mu. 27, 1900.:

2 Sheath-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

hlt NORM! PETERS co. PHoTcrLlTno. wAsHmcwN u c NITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.,

JAOOB HAMM, OF STEELBUEG, NEBRASKA, AssiGNOB OF ONE-HALF To JOHN F.DEMEL AND FRANK HAMM, OF STEELE O1TY,NEBBAsKA.

sTALK-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.` 657,411, datedSeptember 4, 1900.

Application filed March 2'7, 1900I Serial No. 10,363. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB HAMM, a citizen of the United States, residingat Steelburg, in the county of Jeerson and State of Nebraska, haveinvented a new and useful Stalk- Qutter, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention' is an improved stalk-cutter adapted for cutting standingcornstalks in a `field into short lengths, whereby they may be readilycovered out of the way when the field is plowed; and it consists in thecombination, with a supporting-frame and a cutting mechanism, of atubuiar shoe or runner adapted to ride down the cornstalks and disposethe same in position to be cut by the cutting mechanism,and means forraising and lowering said tubular shoe or runner and said cuttingmechanism.

My invention further consistsin the peculiar construction andcombination of devices hereinafter. fully set forth,and pointed out inthe claims. A

.In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of animproved stalk-cutter embodying my invention, the near wheel thereofbeing removed. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal sectional View of the same. Fig. 4 is arearelevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail View.

In the embodiment of myinvention herein shown, 1 represents theaxle-shaft, which is journaled in bearings on the depending ends of anarch-bar 2 and is provided with Wheels 3 4, which are respectively fastand loose thereon. A draft-pole or tongue 5 is secured near its rearextending end under the center of the arch-bar 2, and the latter isbraced by means of brace-bars 6, which may be either of thev form hereshownor of any othersuitable form and either connected to theaxle-shaft, as here shown, or connected to the arch-bar. The slottedplate orkeeper 7 is secured on the end of the draft-pole, which extendsin rear of the arch-bar over the axle, and in said slotted plate orkeeper is secured thelower end of a spring-bar 8, which ,isA adjustablelongitudinally thereon and carries at its rear upper end 'a seat 9 forthe driver. It will be understood from the foregoing and by reference tothe drawings thatby this construction the supporting-frame,which'comprises, essentiallv, the draft-pole or tongue, the archbar, andthe brace-bar 6, is countrbalauced on the axle-shaft, the weight of thedriver when the machine is in operation contributing to counterbalancethe frame thereof. eled gear-wheel 10 is loose on the axle-shaft and isprovided on one side with a clutch member 11, adapted to be engaged anddisengaged by a clutch 12, which is splined on the axle-shaft and isoperated by a hand-le- Ver 13, which is within convenient reach of thedriver and is provided with the usual segment-rack 14 and locking-detent15,where by it may be secured when adj usted.

A rocking frame 16 extends rearward from the supporting-frame, and thefront-ends of the side .bars 17 thereof are pivotally conn'ected to theaxle-shaft. Said rocking frame may be either of the form here shown orof any other suitable form and is provided with bearings 18, in which isjournaled the longitudinally-disposed shaftv 19, which is centrallylocated with reference to the frame and is provided at its front endwith a beveled pinion 20, which engages the beveled gear-wheel 10. Acutter-wheel 21 is keyed to the rearextending portion of the shaft 19and rotates therewith in a circular shield or casing 22, in which theshaft 19 is centrally journaled, the front side of the said casing beingbraced by brace-bars 23, which ,connect the same to the axle-shaft, asshown. The said shield or casing'is provided on its rear side with aremovable cover 24, bolted or otherwise secu red thereto, as shown, andhaving an Ope11ing25 formed by cutting away the lower portion of saidcover, the said opening being of any suitable form. A semicircularopening 26 is made in the lower side of the front portion of the shieldor casing and is provided on its rear side with a iiange or odset 27,which forms a coacting cutting edge with the cutting edges of the.curved cuttingarms 28, with which the cutter wheel or disk is provided.

A Vlongitudinally-disposed substantiallytubular shoe 29, which ispreferably semicylindrical in form, as here shown, has its rear endconnected to the shield or casing 22 bya hinged joint 30, said rear endof the said tu- `A bevv flared funnel-shaped mouth is suiicient to causethe same to gather in the standing cornstalkspin a row `whenl the sameare being ridden down by theshoe, the latter serving to bend and inclinethe stalks as it passes over them to a substantially-horizontal position, `so that they become cut into' short lengths by the successivecutting arms or blades of the -revolving cutting-Wheel.

A pair of gatheringarms 32, which are curved, as shown, are pivotallyconnected to the under side of the draft-pole or tongue at a'point inadvance of the shoe, as at 33, and said gathering-arms have their lowerends adapted to slide on the ground in advance of the shoe, as at 34,and are flexibly connected to the inner sides of the iiared mouthV orforward extension of the shoe, as at 35. Hence the said gathering-armsserve to keep the front end of the shoe depressed sufficiently to causethe same to ride down the standing cornstalks, and said arms 32,moreover, serve to gather cornstalks which are laterally inclined int-he rows and dispose the same in position to be'engaged by theriding-shoe.

A hand-lever 36 is mounted on the supporting-frame at a suitable pointwithin convenient reach of the driver and is provided with the usualsegment-rack 37 and spring-pressed locking-detent 38, and saidhand-lever is connected to the rocking frame 16 by a suitable cord orchain, as at 39, said cord or chain passing over the bearing-sheave 40,mounted in a bracket 41 on the rear end ofthe draftpole or tongue.` Asuitable hand-lever 42'is mounted on the draft-pole or tongue a slightdistance in advance of the lever 36 and is likewise provided with asegment-rack 43 and a spring-pressed locking-detent, (indicated at 44,)and said lever 42 is connected to the front end of the riding-shoe by asuitable cord or chain 45, which passes over the bearingsheave 46,mounted in a slot or opening 47 in the draft-pole or tongue. The lowerend of said cord or chain is divided, the ends thereof, as here shown,being passed through openings 48 in the sides of the flared mouth of theriding-shoe and fattached to the gatheringarms 32, the said divided endsof the said cord or chain thereby forming links, which connect the saidgathering-arms 32 flexibly to the mouth of the riding-shoe.

It will be understood that by means of the hand-lever 36 and cord orchain 39 the rocking frame 16 may be raised, so as to elevate the rearends of the riding-shoe and also elevate the cutting mechanism from theground. It will be further understood that by means of the lever 42 andchain or cord 45 the front end of the riding-shoe, together with the .atthe ends of therows. `understood that when the clutch l2 is inengagement with the gear-wheel 10 theV latter 1 will be caused torotate, and thereby rotate gathering-arms 32, may be likewise elevatedfrom the groundto permit the machine to be driven from one iield toanother and turned lt will be further the cutter-wheel, and that whensaid clutch is disengaged from said gear-wheel l()l the cutter will bethrown out of operation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim p l. In a stalk-cutter, thecombination with a supporting-frame, of ariding-shoe adapted toride downand bend standing cornstalks, and a cutting mechanism in rear of saidriding-shoe, substantially as described.

2. The combination` with a supportingframe, of a rocking frame, arevoluble cutter carried by the rockingrframe and geared to theaxle-shaft, of the supporting-f rame, a riding-shoe having its rear endsupported by the rocking frame, a lever to raise and lower the latterIand thereby vraise and lower the rear end ofthe riding-shoe, and a leverand connections to raise and lower the front end of the riding-slice,substantially as described.

3. In combination witha supporting-frame having an laxle-shaft providedwith a gearwheel, a rocking frame pivoted on said axle, a revolublecutter havinga supporting-shaft journaled in the rocking frame andprovided with a lpinion engaging said gear-wheel, a shield carried bythe rocking frame and incasing the revoluble cutter, alongitudinallydisposed riding-shoe in advance of the cutter mechanismand having its rear end flexibly connected to the lower side of saidshield, and means to raise and lower said rocking frame and the frontend of said riding-shoe, substantially as described.

Y `4.*In a cornstalk-cutter of the class des vsaid riding-shoeand'flexibly connected thereto, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own Ihave hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB Witnesses:

C. H. DENNEY, EDWARD B. OovvLEs.

IOO

